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9 Soap Families With Surprising Real-Life Age Gaps

Some of these are... interesting.
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By 

Reporter

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BBC/ITV/Lime Pictures

We’re as aware as the next person that our favourite soaps, such as ‘EastEnders’ and ‘Coronation Street’, depict fictional places, but it’s fair to say that certain aspects of them could do with being a bit more realistic.

TV bosses can kill off as many characters as they like, and engineer affairs that are certainly unexpected, but a number of key dynamics need to plausible. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is - although it’s not always the case.

Artistic license is employed in many different ways by the writers of Britain’s best-loved soaps, but occasionally, they all seem to overlook one key thing: realistic age gaps.

See what we mean in the gallery below…

Soap Families With Surprising Real-Life Age Gaps
Moira and Adam Barton (Emmerdale)(01 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 11 years

Despite her farmer's garb, Natalie J. Robb basically glows on screen, so we weren't exactly surprised to find that she wouldn't actually be old enough to be Adam Thomas's parent in the real world. (credit:REX/Shutterstock)
Goldie McQueen and her twin sons (Hollyoaks)(02 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: ??

We were as delighted as the next person to find out Chelsee Healey had landed a soap role - but the 28-year-old having on-screen twin, teenage sons? Hm. The maths isn't quite going to work now, is it... (credit:Lime Pictures)
Charity And Debbie Dingle (Emmerdale)(03 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 13 years

This mother-daughter duo have had more than their fair share of drama over the years. While Charity was supposed to be young when she gave birth, 13 might pushing it a bit. (credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Mick and Nancy Carter (EastEnders)(04 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 13 years

Just over a decade separates Maddy Hill and Danny Dyer, pictured here with Kellie Bright. (credit:David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
Kathy and Ian Beale (EastEnders)(05 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 12 years

Let's be honest, Gillian Taylforth does look more like Adam Woodyatt's sister than his mother. (credit:BBC Pictures)
Janice and Toyah Battersby (Coronation Street)(06 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 11 years

Can we just take a second to admire Barbara Knox's ensemble, please? Done? OK.

So did Janice give birth at 11? No, she did not. There's more chance of Vicky Entwistle and Georgia being sisters. (credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Myra and Jacqui McQueen (Hollyoaks)(07 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 8 years

Claire Cooper played the eldest member of the McQueen clan until 2013, and everyone was willing to suspend their disbelief at the fact she's not even a decade younger than on-screen mum Nicole Barber-Lane. (credit:Lime Pictures)
Masood and Syed Masood (EastEnders)(08 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 13 years

Masood and Zainab's eldest son arrived in Walford four years after the rest of the family, after a fallout over the family business and as far as we're aware, the religious couple welcomed him when their school years were finished. (credit:BBC Pictures)
Audrey and Gail Platt (Coronation Street)(09 of09)
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Real-Life Age Gap: 7 years

Seriously, 'Corrie'? This one really does take the mickey. (credit:REX/Shutterstock)

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